Review: The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware

by 8/21/2018 0 comments
Of late, I've been spreading my reading wings a lot. I have more or less given romance a break, reading them in between other novels. One of those "other novels" I read was this wonderful mystery by Ruth Ware. I had not read anything by this author before, but of course she was not entirely unknown to me. And I have to say, this novel proved for some very interesting reading.

My Rating: ❀'s
Genre: Mystery
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I think what I liked most was the main character. Hal was so compelling. Young, alone, broke, targeted by thugs she owes money to, she is such a desperate character. She has no idea what to do next, and few choices. And then, suddenly, some money falls into her lap.

Although, Hal knows the money cannot possibly be meant for her. Still, she is desperate enough to seek to claim it, convincing herself that accepting a small bequeath can do little harm.

The story from here naturally becomes twisted up. Hal has to be so careful not to give herself away. And the people she is with, her supposed family, are so kind that you cannot imagine the family steeped in something dark or sinister. And yet, Hal comes to believe some of them must be hiding something because it soon becomes apparent that although Hal does not this family, that she is in some way connected to them.

This is by no means a ghost story, and yet, there are ghosts living in these pages. So many characters without voices, or whose voices are limited to some documents they have left behind. It's a mystery Hal feels she must uncover, even though she senses that doing so can be very dangerous.

I was totally engaged as I read this book. It's crisp description, determined pace and vividly portrayed characters really drew me in. I felt as though I knew Hal, and yet she was not entirely an easy character to know. An unbelieving fortune teller, an actress of sorts, a vulnerable girl with a backbone of steel. If you enjoy mysteries, this one ought be up your alley. And how everything ends certainly took me by surprise. You'll never see it coming.

Happy Reading, 
Jewels

Jewels E

Author

I'm a thirty something girl who loves to read, write and dream. Because I'm so addicted to the written word in all its forms, I created this blog to share the books that devastate me with you.

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